Four takeaways from Stanford, UCLA

SAN FRANCISCO – Two of the West Coast’s great women’s basketball programs had very different experiences at Chase Center Friday night.

Hometown Stanford was rocked 84-59 by No. 11 Ohio State in the first game of the doubleheader, with the Buckeyes’ press catching the Cardinal by surprise as former coach Tara VanDerveer sat courtside . VanDerveer coached at Ohio State from 1980-85 before beginning his legendary run at Stanford.

No. 1 UCLA was without former Stanford player Lauren Betts (lower leg injury), but remained a dominant force. In a rematch of last season’s NCAA Tournament second-round game against Creighton, the Bruins took a 26-4 lead in the first quarter and beat the Bluejays 70-41.

Here are four takeaways from Friday’s college basketball showcase at The City.

Stanford’s guard play is outclassed by Ohio State’s

Ohio State relentlessly pressed and trapped Stanford’s guards, and the Cardinal admitted to being perplexed by the tactic.

Stanford, which fell to 8-4 and entered the break having lost three of its last four games, got less than ideal guard play from Elena Bosgana, Jzaniya Harriel and the rest of the rear area.

Coach Kate Paye, who took over from VanDerveer after last season, emphasized that the team is still a work in progress as it prepares for its first ACC trip against SMU on Jan. 2 and Clemson on Jan. 5 .

“We’re not ready yet, we’re a cake that’s still baking and baking,” Paye said. “It’s not going to get any easier in ACC play. This is when people take on new and bigger roles, and the challenge is to be consistent.

Stanford was pressured into 19 turnovers against Ohio, while the Buckeyes had just five. Talana Lepolo’s athleticism and energy were evident when she missed her seventh straight game with a knee injury.

“Talana is working to get healthy, but there is no time frame and we are hopeful that she will get healthy,” Paye said.

Nunu Agara stands out

The second post was one of the few bright spots during an otherwise dreadful night for Stanford. Even as the deficit grew, Agara continued to attack from the low block, leading the team with 17 points and also adding 10 rebounds against an athletic Ohio State frontcourt.

“I really thought Nunu came through in the second half, and she aspires to be a great player and definitely has all the tools,” Paye said.

The 6-foot-2 Agara has been a revelation since being thrust into a starring role following Kiki Iriafen’s transfer to USC. She averages 17 points per game and shoots over 50% from the field and 40% from 3-point land.

She still saw room for improvement, both for herself and as a team, after Ohio State dismantled the Cardinal.

“We put it together a little too late,” Agara said.

No betting, no problem

Betts is arguably the best player in the country, a 6-7 shot blocker who averages 19.8 points per game and grabs double-digit rebounds for the nation’s top-ranked team in UCLA.

Those who flocked to the Chase Center hoping to see another dominant performance from the former Cardinal great — she spent her freshman year at The Farm before transferring to UCLA — instead saw her put sidelined with a leg injury.

His absence hasn’t slowed the Bruins down. With star juniors Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez and Janiah Barker in the lineup, UCLA consistently beat Creighton. And junior forward Angela Dugalic took over inside, scoring 13 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.

UCLA routed the same team the Bruins only beat 67-63 in last season’s NCAA Tournament, sending a message to the rest of the country.

“If you look at the whole list and the people who are missing, you will see that there is almost no way to stop us,” Dugalic said. “To put it bluntly.”

Valkyries dominate Chase Center

The teams participating in Friday’s games may have been collegiate, but the Bay Area’s new professional basketball team dominated the event.